WWE Rumors: Battle Royal finish may have been due to Harper/Styles uncertainty

Is there more to this story than meets the eye?

What's the story?

As reported by Cageside Seats, the finish to the Battle Royal on SmackDown Live this past Tuesday may have been due to uncertainty on the part of WWE. Luke Harper and AJ Styles will now face each other one-on-one next week for the right to face Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33.

In case you didn't know...

On SmackDown Live, there was a ten-man battle royal that took place to determine the number one contender for the WWE Title at WrestleMania. Unfortunately, Luke Harper and AJ Styles supposedly went out at the same time and thus they will be having a match this coming Tuesday in order to determine who will be heading to the main event of the show of shows.

The heart of the matter

The report suggests that the non-finish may have taken place because the WWE hasn't yet decided whether they want to include Luke Harper in the WWE Title match at the biggest event of the year. The story seems to have been building towards a Wyatt vs. Orton feud, but this latest development could throw yet another pretty big spanner in the works.

A triple threat match has been rumoured for a while now

What's next?

Harper and Styles will be preparing to go head to head on SmackDown Live, meanwhile, we are left to ponder the potential outcomes of the contest. With Orton still being a factor and constant rumours flying around of a babyface turn one way or another, it seems as if we could be in for yet another dusty finish on the Road to WrestleMania.

Sportskeeda's take

The whole thing feels quite dragged out at this point and if Harper ends up winning the match next week, it won't be nearly as effective as a Battle Royal win would've been. Styles has never felt like a big part of the equation, especially when you consider that he's pencilled in to face Shane McMahon at the showcase of the immortals.

It'll be a decent match, but with just five SmackDowns remaining before the big event in Orlando, we're curious as to how the company will build this storyline going forward.